Water ski rope retriever



Dec. 5, 1961 D- J. FALKNER WATER SKI ROPE RETRIEVER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 10, 1958 INVENTOR. Dams J2) FflL/(NEE.

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Dec. 5, 1961 D. J. FALKNER 3,011,469

WATER SKI ROPE RETRIEVER Filed Sept. 10, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 T INVENTOR. J8" Dams J20 FTqLK/VEC BY %m,r

Dec. 5, 1961 I D- J. FALKNER 3,011,469

WATER SKI ROPE RETRIEVER Filed Sept. 10, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENT OR. B01105 J IY FZLKNEE.

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Dec. 5, 1961 D. J. FALKNER WATER SKI ROPE RETRIEVER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept; 10, 1958 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,011,469 WATER SKI ROPE RETRIEVER Dallas Jay Falkner, P.O. Box 504, Columbia-Ira, Ala. Filed Sept. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 760,168 11 Claims. (Cl. 114-235) A further object relates to the provision of means for v driving-a reel from the boats motor.

An additional object provides a ski rope retriever of the type above described which may have means for disconnecting the reel from its driving means, and brake means for saidreel.

..Other objects will appear hereinafter throughout the specification. I

- In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view partly broken away, of a motorboat equipped with a device of one form of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view with the casing partly broken away, of the motor and reel forming part of the structure shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view with the casing partly broken away, of the structure shown in FIGURE 2; FIGURE 4 is a side-elevational view with the casing partly broken away, of the structure shown in FIGURES 2 and 3;

FIGURE 5 is a rear elevational view partly broken away, showing a modified form of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the reel shown in FIGURE 5;

. FIGURE-7 is a rear elevational view of the reel shown in FIGURES 5 and 6; p

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of the reel of FIGURES 6 and 7 with its mounting partly broken away;

FIGURE 9 is a rearelevational view shown partly broken away and partly in section, of the paddle wheel shown in FIGURE 5;

' FIGURE 15 is a top plan view partly broken away and I partly in section, of a fourth form of the invention, but omitting the controls;

FIGURE 16 is a diagrammatic view showing the controls for the structure shownin FIGURES 15 and 16;

FIGURE 17 shows a fifth form of the invention, the same being attached to the'transom of a boat, the latter being partly broken away; and

FIGURE 18 is an enlarged detail view of the spool and ski rope handle shown in FIGURE 17. The purpose of this invention is to'provide means for winding up the ski rope and for pulling in one or two skiers to the towing boat. The ski rope retriever of this invention contributes to the safety of water skiing in that it provides a means for retrieving a rope quickly to thereby avoid the chance of an accident, not only to the occuv pants of the boat but also to the occupants of other boats which might cross the path of the ski line.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 to 4 inclusive, which disclose the first form of the invention, a boat is illustrated by a numeral 10, which boat is driven by an outboard motor 12 having a control lever 14. The boat transom is provided with apertures 16 and 18'. A framework illustrated at 20 is attached to the transom and is provided with one or more rollers as indicated at 2.2 and 24. Located below framework 20 are a pair of facing channel irons which are attached to the transom by any suitable means, such as screws or bolts, not shown.

Although an outboard motor is shown and described, it will be understood that an inboard motor could be substituted therefor, and that the controls for either motor could be located forward, both types of controls being conventional.

The numeral 28 shows a casing which is movable vertically by the rope 30 as controlled by handle 32. This rope passes through aperture 16 and is attached to the casing at 34. The casing is provided with rollers 36, which rollers engage and are guided by the channel irons 26.

Mounted within the casing 28 so as to rotate within bearings 38, only one of which isshown, is a shaft 40, and keyed to the shaft is a paddle wheel 42, and a reel 44. The reel is provided with an aperture 46 for the reception of the end of a ski rope 48 having a handle 50'.

Also mounted on the shaft 40 is a brake which has been diagrammatically illustrated as a strap brake 52. This brake is actuated through a rope 54 that extends through aperture 18 in the boat transom and terminates invan actuating lever 56.

When it is desired to pay out the ski rope 48, the handle 32 is pushed forward so as to raise the casing with its paddle and reel to its upper position where it is out of the water. However, when it is desired to reel in the rope 48, handle 32 is operated to lower the casing 28 so that the paddle wheel 42 will be immersed in the water as illustrated in FIGURE 4. Assuming the boat is traveling at good speed, when the paddle wheel 42 is lowered to the position shown in FIGURE 4, the said paddle wheel will be driven in a direction to reel on the rope 48 and also the skier, assuming he has his'hands on the handle 50. This operation will continue, but if the reeling operation is too rapid, due to the speed of the boat in the water, the reel may be braked by pushing forward on handle 56 which will tighten the brake band 52 to thereby slow down the reeling-in action.

Referring now to the second form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 5 to 11, the numeral 58 shows the boat transom, and attached to the inner side of the transom is a pair of arms or supports 60 and 62. Suitably mounted within bearings in said arms is a reel shaft 64 on which is splined or otherwise rigidly attached the ski rope reel 66 having an aperture 68 for the attachment of the ski, rope 70. This ski rope extends through an aperture 72 in the transom and terminates in the handle'74.

Fixed to the shaft 64 by any suitable means is a flexible shaft 76. This shaft extends through a suitable opening 78 in the transom and is attached to the paddle wheel shaft 80 at 82. Mounted on the paddle wheel shaft is the 'means of a rope 92 which passes over a pulley 94 and which is controlled by a lever, not shown, similar to the lever 32 shown in FIGURE 1. The opposite end of the rope 92 is connected by any suitable means to the casing 86, such as by connecting the same to the ring 96 that is mounted on a fixture 98 on the top of the casing 86. A suitable brake, not shown, similar to the brake shown in FIGURE 2, may be used with the reel 66.

When it is desired to drive the reel 66, the rope 92 is operated so asto lower the casing 86 to the position shown in FIGURE 5. With the boat moving forward at speed, and assuming the casing 86 has been lowered to the position shown in FIGURE by means of rope 92, the flexible shaft 76 will be rotated, causing rotation of the reel 66 and winding in the rope 70. When it is desired to discontinue winding the rope, or topermit the rope 70 to pay out, rope 92 is moved so as to elevate casing 86 to the point where paddle wheel 84 is out of contact with the water.

Referring now to the third form of the invention illustratcd in FIGURES 12 to 16, the transom of the boat is shown at 100. Mounted on the transom is an outboard motor 102. As shown in FIGURES 15 and 16, the outboard motor is provided with the usual vertical shaft 104. Fixed to the shaft is a beveled gear 106 which meshes with beveled gear 108 of an off-take drive. This offtake drive comprises a shaft 110 on which is mounted a clutch having mutually engageable parts 112 and 114, the whole being surrounded by casing 116. One end of the shaft 110 extends through the casing to the right, as viewed in FIGURES 15 and 16, and is drivingly attached to a flexible shaft 118. The opposite end of the flexible shaft 118 is connected to the reel shaft 120 on which is fixed the ski rope reel 122.

A brake illustrated at 124 is operated by a rope 126, corresponding to the rope 54 of FIGURE 1, and this rope 126 maybe operated by a suitable handle, not shown, corresponding to the handle 56 of FIGURE 1.

The reel 122 is provided with a suitable aperture 128 for the ski rope 130 having a handle 132. The reel and its shaft are mounted on supporting arms 132 that may be attached to the transom of the boat as illustrated in FIGURE 12.

When it is desired to drive the reel, the clutch 112 is operated so as to connect the shaft 118 with the vertical shaft 104 of the outboard motor, thus rotating the reel to wind in the rope 130. The clutch may be controlled by a flexible shaft 134 such as a Bowden wire that is controlled by the handle 136.

The form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 12 to 16 may be slightly modified by utilizing the structure shown in FIGURES 17 and 18. In this form, the ski rope 138 is attached at one of its ends to the reel diagrammatically illustrated at 140. The opposite end of the rope isv attached to the handle 142. The transom 100 is provided with a thimble 144 in which a spool 146 having ends 148 and 149 is housed.

Between one of the spool ends 149 and the thimble is located an expansible spring 150, one of whose ends winding operation continues until the handle 142 reaches the position shown in dot-ted lines in FIGURE 18, whereupon the spool is pushed forwardly to the dotted-line position shown in this figure, pulling the Bowden wire 152 forwardly to disconnect the clutch 112. It will be appreciated by reference to FIGURES 12 to 18, that the clutch may be disconnected by pulling the handle 142 in a direction to release spring 150 to thereby allow the parts to assume the full-line position of FIGURE 18. The clutch 112 is disengaged to permit the rope to pay out, and its speed is controlled by the brake 114. With the rope payed out, the skiing operation may be continued until it is desired to again reel in the rope 138. This operation is initiated by operation of clutch handle 136. As soon as the clutch is engaged by means of this handle, the rope will be reeled in until handle 148 engages spool end 149 to cause the spool to move against the action of the spring 159, to thereby actuateBowden wire 152 to again disconnect the clutch.

The above description and drawings disclose several embodiments of the invention, and specific language has been employed in describing the several figures. It will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitations of the scope of the invention are thereby contemplated, and that various alterations and modifications may be made such as would occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

I claim:

1. In combination, a water driven wheel and reel, a casing enclosing said driven wheel having an open bottom portion, said reel and casing having means for mounting the same on a boat, said wheel and said reel being drivingly' connected to each other, said means including means for adjustably moving said casing and wheel to a position where the wheel is drivingly engaged by the water or to a position where said wheel is removed from the water, and manually operated flexible means operatively associated with said casing for moving it to said positions whereby to manually raise and lower said wheel toward and from the water. a

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein a common shaft is provided for mounting said wheel and said reel.

3. The structure of claim 2 including a manually operated brake connected to said reel.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said manually operated flexible means is provided with a handle means remotely located from said reel.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein said means for adjustably moving said casing includes a pair of spaced guides, said guides being mounted on said boat, and said casing having means engaging said guides.

6. The structure of claim 1 wherein a pair of spaced guides is provided, said guides being mounted on said boat, and said casing having roller means engaging said guides.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein flexible shaft means is provided for drivingly connecting said water driven wheel and said reel. i

8. The structure of claim 1 wherein said wheel and said reel are mounted on a common shaft, a brake drum mounted on said shaft and braking means for said brake drum, and flexible means for actuating said braking means. 7 i

9. The structure of claim 1 wherein said casingis provided with an aperture, a brake attached to said reel, and a second flexible means extending through said aperture and operatively connected to said brake.

10. The structure of claim 1 wherein said casing is provided with spaced means extending laterally therefrom on both sides thereof and guide means adapted for attachment to a boat for guiding said last named means.

. 11. The structureof claim 10 wherein a flexible shaft is provided, said flexible shaft drivingly connecting said water wheel and reel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lake Nov. 28, 1871 

